Custer, Dawson, Frontier, Furnas,

Gosper, Lincoln & Red Willow

Early days in seven central Nebraska counties are recalled through colorful tales of the old west, factual data and individual biographies in this 67-page spiral bound booklet excerpted from the rare 1882 book: History of the State of Nebraska, originally published by the Western Historical Co. of Chicago, and Nebraska, a Guide to the Cornhusker State, a 1939 project of the Federal Writers of the Works Progress Administration. A vinyl sheet protects the full-color front cover.

Each county is addressed separately. These were comparatively new counties in 1882, when most of this material was written. Dawson and Lincoln were 22 years old, the others less than ten. Common to most of the individual histories are geographical descriptions, early settlers and settlements, county organizations and early officials, agriculture, and progress.

Additional subjects by county include:

CUSTER: The cowboys versus the homesteaders, cattle thieves, the murder of Luther Mitchell and Ami Ketchum and the trial of L.P. Olive and Fred Fisher. Broken Bow, the county seat, and other small towns are barely mentioned.

DAWSON: Indian troubles along the stage route and other Indian scares; Grasshoppers; Criminal cases; Storms and floods; and the towns of Plum Creek (which when it crossed the river became Lexington, the county seat), Overton, Cozad and Willow Island.

FRONTIER: First events, such as the first marriage; Stockville, the county seat.

FURNAS: Crimes and Criminals; an Indian Scare; Beaver City, the county seat, Cambridge, Oxford, and Arapahoe;

GOSPER: No additional subjects;

LINCOLN: Overland travel and its signifigance; Hunting Buffalo; Fort McPhearson; the Indian War and other Indian troubles; Visit of the Grand Duke Alexis of Russa in 1872; the town of North Platte -- it's early infamous reputation, permanent improvements;

RED WILLOW: Dispute between settlements on Red Willow Creek and Coon Creek; "Firsts"; Indianola, McCook (the county seat).

Attention Genealogists: In addition to the numerous names mentioned throughout the booklet, there are biographies of a number of county residents of the late 1800s. Some of these are brief, but others include family members, affiliations, war records, and business activities, in the course of which they often shed light on area businesses, churches, professions and institutions, and on news events.

Those listed are:

CUSTER: L.D. George;

DAWSON: Anton Abel, A.S. Baldwin, Dr. William M. Bancroft, F.L. Bradley, James P. Carr, Dr. A.T. Gatewood, S.O. Hall, H.T. Hedges, John Heron, Thomas J. Hewitt, Dr. Hosea Hudson, R.F. James, Benjamin F. Krier, John F. Kutz, George Little, C.L. Long, Hugh Maclean, R.B. Peirce, H.O. Smith, T.W. Smith, John S. Stuckey, J.S. Thomas, J.M, Tipton, T.L. Warrington;

FRONTIER: Everett G. Nesbitt;

FURNAS: C.S. Albee, Thomas R. Armstrong, N.M. Ayers, C.F. Bennett, Alcinous T. Bratton, Everard S. Child, Lewis Clute, Crutcher & Jones, Delatour & Babcock, W.H. Faling, R.J. Finch, Hadley Brothers, Lucius Kinsman, John H. McKee, Frank H. Nicholson, Peak & Pettit, W. Howard Phelps, John W. Pickle, F.M. Rathbun, H.P. Rowley, D.M. Tomblin, W.E. Winslow;

LINCOLN: H.W. Babb, D.W. Baker, Judge J.W. Bixler, George W. Boyden, John Bratt, Alonzo H. Church, P.J. Cohn, Albert Coolidge, C.L. Cooper, Edwin M. Day, Orren G. Dodge, Dr. N.F. Donaldson, T.J. Foley, Edwin R. Griffin, C.F. Groner, A.B. Hall, E.W. Hammond, Fred Hanlon, William Hurbartt, Beach I. Hinman, J.D. Jackson, S.P. Laing, Dr. F.H. Longley, J.H. McConnell, Joseph Mackle, A.J. Miller, William Neville, H.N. Nichols, John H. Owen, Thomas C. Patterson, William J. Patterson, John M. Randolph, James M. Ray, Anthony Ries, Joseph Schatz, Judge George T. Snelling, H.L. Swarthout, L. Thoelecke, Robert D. Thomson, Irving Van Doran, George W. Vroman, Major Leicester Walker, Henry Wilkinson, John R. Worthley. No bios were included for Red Willow and Gosper counties.

The final part of the booklet contains a brief tour of the area from Nebraska, a Guide to the Cornhusker State, including a separate section on North Platte with a map an five points of interest. Tour stops include the towns of Sargent, Westerville, Lexington, Cozad, Gothenburg, Brady, Maxwell, O'Fallons, Sutherland, Maywood, Curtis, Stockville, McCook, and Broken Bow.

We've also included a small map of these counties from the 1882 book and some current statistics.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?